The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and matching funders today awarded two Seeding Solutions grants totaling over $5 million to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) for crop development research.
FFAR, the Danforth Center, Kansas State University, The Land Institute, the Perennial Agriculture Project and Saint Louis University provided $2,926,098 to a project accelerating the domestication of perennial crops, which are planted once and harvested over several growing seasons. Additionally, FFAR, the Danforth Center, Pennsylvania State University and Valent BioSciences LLC awarded $2,196,825 for research extending the root system of corn to improve synthetic fertilizer efficiency and preserve soil and water health.
The grantees include:
- Dr. Allison Miller, Principal Investigator, Danforth Center; Professor, Saint Louis University
Farming annual crops, like wheat and corn, requires high input costs and can degrade soil over time. Perennial crops, however, have deep roots that can lower farming costs by conserving nutrients and water. Still, few herbaceous perennial species have been domesticated for large-scale agricultural production. Together with collaborators, Dr. Allison Miller of the Danforth Center aims to optimize and expedite the domestication of perennials by developing strategies for screening potential breeding candidates at early life stages. This research team is screening plants at early stages of their lifespan—seeds and seedlings—using genetics and spectral traits separately and in combination to learn which method creates the largest gains in targeted traits and yield. This team is conducting this research on perennial crops in pre-breeding stages—wild species with limited or no breeding—and those in more advanced stages of domestication to establish if the stage of domestication influences a screening method’s success.
- Dr. Christopher Topp, Principal Investigator, Danforth Center
Industrial farming relies on large applications of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. However, a significant portion of fertilizer is not used by the plants, which costs producers money and can affect soil and water health. Dr. Christopher Topp of the Danforth Center and team are exploring the impacts of deep rooted corn, and the symbiotic relationship between corn and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, both of which can increase the reach of corn roots. The team is leveraging unique genetics controlling root system architecture and fungal-corn interactions, including the use of wild corn relatives to optimize root systems for greater nitrogen uptake, increasing yield. The research results can increase producer profits through greater yield and lower input costs, while also improving farmland health.